Limerick top League with Offaly win

Post date: Apr 17, 2015 10:14:51 PM

Limerick 0-13 (0-7) Offaly 1-8 (0-4)

Irish Daily Star National Camogie League Division 1

Sunday 5th April at 2.30pm

St Rynagh’s GAA, Banagher, Co Offaly

Limerick beat Offaly in their final game of the group stages by 0-13 to 1-8. But they were made to work to maintain their unbeaten record in the League by a strong Offaly side who despite having recorded only one win their League campaign had not been beaten by more than three points in any game.

Limerick started brightest and opened a four point lead inside 10 minutes with scores from Mairéad Fitzgerald, Deborah Murphy and two from Aoife Sheehan. But Offaly rallied and points from play from Siobhán Flannery and Tina Hannon got them off the mark. Both sides exchanged scores from placed ball with Niamh Mulchay getting three for Limerick and Siobhán Flannery two for Offaly to send the sides in at the break with three between them Limerick 0-7 Offaly 0-4.

Offaly levelled the score immediately after half-time through a well taken Niamh Larkin goal but a point from Rebecca Delee and two from Niamh Mulchay restored Limerick’s lead by the quarter hour mark.

This set the stage for a nervous final few minutes for Limerick as Offaly twice reduced their lead to a single point only for three Niamh Mulcahy frees to restore Limerick’s lead and leave the score at the final whistle Limerick 0-13 Offaly 1-8.

Limerick will go on to meet Cork in a semi-final clash between the 2014 Senior and Intermediate All-Ireland champions on 19th April. Indeed it is an indication of Limerick’s achievement that three other teams through to the semi-final stage are the Senior Champions from 2013 and 2014 and the runners-up in both those years.